Month: April 2017

Well, the school year is done, so my requirement to post on this subject is over.

It’s been semi-interesting to say the least and somewhat exciting to say the most.

I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. My reluctance to write on a weekly basis is only trumped by my love of comedy. So, it really wasn’t too bad.

It enjoyed writing this blog but it’s not my best work. It’s not my worst either.

So, anyway, here are my recommendations for comedy from all sorts of media. If you’re not watching or reading any of these. do it. If you’ve seen these programs but don’t enjoy, you have my sincere pity.

TV

The Simpsons (because you have to—it was the best show on Earth for at least seasons 3-9)

South Park (because you have the balls to watch little kids tear the beloved beliefs you hold to shreds)

Seinfeld (because it’s fun to watch people bitch about nothing)

Mr. Show with Bob and David– (because it’s the funniest and most random sketch show you’ve never heard of)

The Office- both versions (because it’s how you wish your work environment was)

F is for Family and Mike Tyson Mysteries (because Bill Burr and because Norm Macdonald as a pigeon who solves mysteries with Mike Tyson is funnier than people who find Sarah Jessica Parker attractive)

Film

Wayne’s World (only legitimately good SNL film ever)

The Room (so bad it’s good- you will shit your pants every time you here Tommy Wiseau attempt to say something in English)

Twin Peaks (not a film and only sort of a comedy- who cares, it’s fucking mint)

Slap Shot (because Paul Newman and the Hansons will teach you to man the fuck up—hockey style)

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (cause your useless ass needs to feel good about itself once in a while)

for me to kiss Norm Macdonald’s ass on this blog. At this point, my lips are chapped and bleeding. But still, like any addict, I won’t stop even if it’s not good for me. So, I’m going to march on like a good little soldier and post more of his magic.

So, here’s a treat, from me to you. A barrage of videos featuring the Greatest Canadian.

(Seriously though, did you ever read that list? David Suzuki’s on it for God’s sake. And a healthcare reformer beat out the founder of our country. Cripes!)

Here he is in a good mix of talk show and podcast appearances, fearing from hilariously meek to overtly offensive.

The first one I’m putting on here is one of the ballsiest, savage comedy routines I’ve ever heard.

I’ve discussed both of them and I also admire both greatly. But I never thought that the two would ever come together in one video.

And then it happened. Sort of.

I have a clip of Klavan discussing Norm Macdonald’s bullshit (but good bullshit) memoir. He then provides a passage from the audiobook, read by Norm himself, with impeccable timing so great, it might force you to get yourself a clean pair of shorts.

Just before I get into discussing another favourite political comedian of mine, I’m just going to warn you that yes, he’s another conservative.

I’m doing this mainly because we know the great liberal political comedians already. Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, etc. They’re all great at what they do.

But conservative political comedians are much less visible for the most part, and where they are seen is online. So, unless you’re actively searching out these people, you will likely not have heard of any of them.

This brings me to Andrew Klavan, the author and screenwriter who hosts his own show for The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro’s online news publication.

Andrew is such a funny guy because of his opening monologues. He is incredibly sarcastic but is also very good at speaking in a funny way. He zig-zags through the stories he tells and intentionally makes his stories confusing because his point is almost always to mock the logic of his ideological opponents.

Here he is being a ridculously smart-allecky bastard. The opening couple of minutes is an example of why I’m such a fan of this sickly looking brother of Mr. Clean.

I’ve always felt weird about political comedy. When it’s great, it’s truly great but when it isn’t, it’s just preachy nonsense that’s more concerned with making a point than being funny. The main point of comedy should always be about being funny.

Now with a Donald Trump presidency, comedians have even more material than they did with Bush 2.0. And for the most part, I find that they’ve gone after Trump in a funny way because they can. He’s a funny character and that’s why it’s easy to make Trump jokes. I can’t imagine they’d be able to do the same with Neil Gorsuch.

But making fun of politicians is only one political topic out of many to make fun of. More and more political comedy targets voters and their political beliefs.

Steven Crowder is a conservative commentator with the YouTube political comedy show Louder with Crowder. The openly biased host does make fun of left-wing politicians, such as Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren (and even Republicans like Trump) sometimes, but most his comedy centres around people who support certain politicians or political views.

Crowder, along with Not Gay Jared, team up and visit countless areas where less-than-desirable political rivals can be found.

Being a Canadian fan of comedy, particularly sketch comedy, it’s to my embarrassment that it took me so long to discover Kids in the Hall. Along with SCTV, it is one of the most recognizable Canadian comedy shows ever.

Two years ago, I remember watching the show for the first time. The show surprised me. Unlike This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Royal Canadian Air Farce, this show wasn’t a steaming pile of Canadian goose shit. It was very funny.

But with a short attention span and even shorter term memory, I quickly forgot about the show. In fairness, I was so caught up in…absolutely nothing cause I’m a lazy sack but still, I never meant to abandon it.

This spring, I began to get into the show again. I’m not watching the show steadily but I am watching it again.

The future of media is going to continue its current trend of fragmentation for years to come. The world is more divided on social and political opinion than ever before, which plays a significant part in dividing media audiences.

The days of mainstream political channels will end, and for networks such as CNN, FOX, and MSNBC to remain relevant, they will have to focus on building their Internet presences. The clearly but openly biased online news sources, such as Huffington Post, Breitbart, Vox, and Drudge Report will continue to grow more popular as people continue to search for news sources that best fit their worldviews.

Apolitical media, such as music, television, and film, will continue to struggle financially because older consumers of media will either die or learn modern media consuming methods, such as downloading and streaming content.

Network television channels will continue to see ratings decline, as variety will increase and smaller channels with more focused content, such as HBO and AMC, will increase their share of the economic pie.

Netflix will continue to dominate as the world’s foremost video-on-demand provider. However, Netflix will face increasingly stiffer competition as other companies look top provide massive amounts of accessible, affordable entertainment.